First 1,000 Days reforms must include disabled children

3 mins read

Thursday 22 January 2026

Today, the Health and Social Care Committee has published its report on the First 1,000 Days: a renewed focus.

The report examines the services that support this critical period of child development. It highlights:

  • The need for equity in the expansion of Family Hubs.
  • Severe shortages in the children’s community health workforce.
  • The importance of better integration between child health services and early years family support services.

Contact urges the government to include disabled children and their families in any reforms resulting from the report. 

Access to Family Hubs

The Committee supports government plans to increase access to Family Hubs. And it stresses that these vital early years services should be accessible in every community.

Parent carers are more likely to experience poverty due to additional disability-related costs. This makes proximity to Family Hubs and neighbourhood health services essential, as travel can be a significant barrier. Families may otherwise miss out on support during their child’s critical early days.

The report highlights the need for clarity on how Neighbourhood Health Services and Family Hubs will work together. Parent carers need clear information about where to go for help and how to access advice, support and services for their child’s needs.

We urge the government to ensure forthcoming guidance on the role of Best Start Family Hubs for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sets this out.

Children’s health workforce plan

We welcome the Committee’s call for a clear children’s health workforce plan. Disabled babies and young children need timely access to a range of specialists close to home, including:

  • Physiotherapists.
  • Speech and Language Therapists.
  • Other children’s community health services.

Waiting times for these services urgently need to improve. In July 2025 our CEO Anna Bird gave evidence to the Committee, highlighting the long waits children under two years face to get an assessment and diagnosis, and the impact this has.

Better integration between services

We think there would be significant benefits from linking Family Hubs and Neighbourhood Health Teams with voluntary and community sector (VCS) services, such as Contact’s Brighter Beginnings early years workshops and Helping Hand early intervention support. 

These services:

  • Provide trusted, practical advice on toileting, sleep, behaviour and communication.
  • Build parental confidence and reduce isolation.
  • Offer impartial support to families struggling to access statutory services.

The Committee also welcomes government plans for a shared outcomes framework and improved data sharing. We ask the government to ensure this work explicitly includes the needs of children with SEND.

This work must also make it easier for families to access support and entitlements. We continue to hear that families of young disabled children struggle to access free nursery care and other early years entitlements.

Finally, consistent communication from health visitors can provide vital reassurance to parents. However, families of babies and young children with emerging or complex needs find it frustrating when developmental concerns are not explored fully. 

We urge Family Hubs and Neighbourhood Health Services to ensure that:

  • Universal services, such as health visiting, work effectively alongside specialist provision.
  • Early intervention is triggered by observed need.

For young disabled children, prevention means earlier access to healthcare, including timely testing, assessment, treatment, therapies and equipment, to prevent needs escalating.